


The Heart Knows

by LezG33k, ScatteredStories, Unfuckwithable



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-14 18:58:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 10,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10542552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LezG33k/pseuds/LezG33k, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScatteredStories/pseuds/ScatteredStories, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unfuckwithable/pseuds/Unfuckwithable
Summary: Set after the events of 'The Darkest Place', Alex keeps her promise to Maggie for a few months. They remain friends but it's not the same as it was before the coming out, the kiss and the rejection. A new case with a dead alien teacher sets them up for another long ride together and this one leads down a path straight to CADMUS and a familiar face long thought lost.Not to mention a new threat to National City and, likely, the world.(Heavy Sanvers Angst and maybe a little more but that isn't where this ship is sailing.)Prologue: 'Did you really think this was over?' by Unfuckwithable and found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10548604





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This is a collaborative piece. One where I (LezG33k) have written the scenes told from Alex's perspective, Unfuckwithable has written the scenes involving Astra and ScatteredStories has written the scenes from Kara's perspective. Once more, I'll re-iterate that there is a lot of warm, fuzzy Sanvers angst in here and a few sweet moments but this is a GeneralDanvers fic at its core.
> 
> Prologue: 'Did you really think this was over?' by Unfuckwithable and found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10548604

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

* * *

Prologue found [here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10548604)

* * *

 

 

The unseasonably warm February morning greeted Alex with a golden ray of sunshine pulling her slowly from sleep. With a yawn and a stretch and a quick shower, she prepared for the day and donned her more professional looking black clothes, given that she was on patrol duty that day. She’d decided weeks ago that she’d try to incorporate some color into her wardrobe come spring, she just didn’t realize spring would come quite so quickly so a gray shirt and black blazer would have to do, along with those dress pants that made her ass look amazing.

She stopped at Noonan’s, even though it was about five minutes out of her way, just so she could see Kara. She’d barely gotten her coffee and started to convince the blonde that paying 20 bucks on iTunes was a good idea so she could watch Dallas when her phone rang.

“Agent Danvers,” she answered, even though she totally saw it was Maggie calling.

“Danvers, good morning,” her soft tone brought a smile to the Agent’s face… probably because she was picturing the smile that normally adorned Maggie’s. “Have you had your coffee yet?”

“Um, I’m working on it,” she replied, taking a sip. “What’s up?”

“You might want to get it to go and meet me at Central City High. We’ve got a dead Abraxian literature teacher here and he did not go peacefully into that dark night. Seems like this one is going to fall under both of our jurisdictions anyway so I figured I’d make the courtesy call right away.”

“I’ll be right there!” she said, capping her coffee and hugging Kara with a whispered goodbye before rushing out the door. “Do you have an evidence team out yet?”

“Of course I do. I’m not /that/ courteous. I called my team in first because your guys are a little lax in that department,” the detective teased.

“You’re such a brat,” Alex asserted with a sigh as she got in her car. “I’ll be there in ten. Don’t screw up my crime scene.”

“Our crime scene,” Maggie corrected.

“The crime scene,” Alex insisted before hanging up and peeling out of the parking lot.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Maggie, it was just that it was harder to push her away when she kept coming so close.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

After a quick call to the DEO to have J'onn send out a team to the school, Alex put the car in park at the front of the building near the black and whites before doing a quick check of her hair and minimal make-up. She then opened the door and stepped outside to swagger over to the petite woman waiting for her.

"Detective Sawyer," she greeted, wishing to god she didn't think about that stupid kiss in the bar, and the rejection that followed, for at least the first fifteen minutes of every single meeting with Maggie.

"Agent Danvers," Maggie offered that bright smile. Just like she always did. "It's nice to see you, as always. Wish the circumstances were a little different but I'm afraid it definitely has to do with a dead body this time."

"I'll live," Alex answered as she placed her hands on her hips and looked around. "So, where is said dead body?"

Maggie's dark head bowed for a second before she took in a deep cleansing breath. She was starting to realize that things were never going to be quite the same between them and a lot of that was her own fault. But what else was she supposed to do? She just... She wasn't sure about Alex. Of course she would be lucky to have her. The DEO Agent was gorgeous, quirky, smart, kind and incredibly loyal to her family. Anyone would be lucky to be with Alex. But she didn't give Maggie that clench of fear in her stomach when she was around. She didn't... scare her. 

And for some reason, Maggie both needed and liked that fear. The wondering if she mattered, if she was good enough, if her heart was going to get broken. And, petty as it was to turn her down for that reason, Alex Danvers was not going to break Maggie Sawyer's heart.

"Right, straight to business it is," she replied with a shake of her head as she led Alex back behind the school. "He's back here on the football field."

"Possible cause of death?"

Maggie was upset, she could tell. But Alex owed her nothing. She'd kept her promise. They'd stayed friends. She just didn't follow her around like a lovesick puppy dog anymore and the Detective's ego was obviously bruised over it.

"It's not 100% confirmed yet but it would seem multiple stab wounds to the heart," Maggie replied and then, under her breath uttered another word. "Appropriately."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex asked, immediately, placing her hand on the shorter woman's shoulder to stop her.

Shit. She was caught. Not only that, she was caught being petulant and she had no excuse for it. At least not a good one. So, holding up her hands in surrender, she asked forgiveness.

"Nothing. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, we're about to walk a crime scene and I'm not doing so with someone who just mocked my heartache," Alex said resolutely before crossing her arms and planting her feet.

"You're heartache?" Maggie asked in surprise. "Alex, I was talking about me! About the way you are around me now!"

"The way we are? Maggie, we talk on the phone, we text, I have drinks with you every week..."

The Agent listed off all of the activities on her fingers before the shorter woman stopped her.

"Like clockwork, Alex. You call me every Sunday when you go to the grocery store because it always takes you forever and you need someone to remind you of all the things you know Kara probably forgot to pick up for your girl's night, of which I'm never invited to. You text me on Wednesdays whether I've texted you zero times or ten times in between our call and hump day. Then we have happy hour on Fridays with your sister and the rest of the gang before I ask you if you want to go out and, like clockwork, you always say 'no'. And when we are together, you're cold like you were just now. I'm not your friend, Alex. I'm like... a thing on your to-do list or something."

Alex huffed out a laugh at that last line. The audacity of this woman!

"You being a thing on my 'to-do' list is what got us here in the first place," she fired back. "And we certainly don't have to run like clockwork, Maggie. You're the one who asked me to be a part of your life, not the other way around. If you don't like the way I do it, I'll certainly survive getting groceries on my own."

Storming off, the Agent continued walking toward the direction of the police officers and caution tape. How dare Maggie criticize the way she was handling things. She was doing the best she could to...

... to keep what she could of what was left of her pride when it came to the tiny detective. As much as she might have cared about Maggie, she didn't trust her. And she was giving as much as she could. Because if Maggie hadn't asked, Alex would have kept away for good. It was about self preservation, not clockwork.

The crunch of the grass under her feet brought her back to her professional state of mind and she immediately started taking in not only her surroundings but any way she might be manipulating them. It didn't take long for the body to come into view. There, seemingly crucified to the goal at the end of the field was slain Abraxian. Words like 'Alien Scum', 'Heil Cadmus' and 'Long Live the Luthors' were spray painted all over the field. Then, once her approach came to a close, she saw the very large 'L' carved into the Abraxian's chest. Right next to the plethora of stab wounds to his heart.

"Tell me none of the kids saw this," Alex said, eyes on body but knowing Maggie was right behind her.

"Alex, according to a lot of the evidence we've found, it's likely some of the kids /did/ this," the detective answered and watched as Alex finally turned and saw hundreds of eyes from the windows of the class rooms looking out at the field.

She remembered high school being murder. It just wasn't literal back when she attended.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

"Yo, this case is lit."

Alex and Maggie sat, arms crossed and features schooled, as they listened to student number twelve tell them the information he had on the case.

"Get it? It's like a pun," Dominic explained with his hands. "Because Mr. Barnes was an English 'lit' teacher. Lit like literature and lit like poppin'?"

Still, he was only getting blank stares from the the detectives.

"Whatever, I already created the hashtag," he said with a shake of his head as he reclined back in the chair.

"Dominic, the question was about Mr. Barnes' murder," Maggie stressed once more. "Do you have any information at all about regarding the crime or why someone might have wanted to commit it?"

Thinking for a few seconds, dark eyes widened and Dominic finally offered up his conjecture.

"Well, we did have a quiz scheduled for today about Pride and Prejudice and ain't nobody read that shit but the girls. If you're looking for suspects, I'd probably look at the dudes first."

Blink, blink. Blink, blink.

__________________________________________________________________________

"And then he told me he didn't want to go to the dance with meeeeeee."

The young brunette Chrissy Montgomery sat before them and cried into multiple tissues about Tommy Wilson who had, apparently, not wished to take her to the Senior Prom.

"I mean, it was just a dance. I wasn't asking him for marriage or anything!" she explained before blowing her nose. "We held hands. We flirted. We even nearly kissed this one time in the library but then Derek Johnson rounded the corner and ruined everything in the freaking world!"

After a bout of more sobbing, Maggie decided she had a question and Alex's eyes went wide when it was asked.

"Why didn't he want to go to the dance with you?" the Detective asked.

"Maggie!"

"What? She's upset," Maggie grumbled back.

"Because," she started and then paused with a sigh. "OK, so, I've kinda got an 'Easy A' situation going on with my reputation in the school. Not like full blown sex work but people think I'm a very giving person if you know what I mean."

Blink, blink. Blink, blink.

"So, he didn't want to go to the dance with you because you're... experienced?" Alex asked.

"Alex!" Maggie chastised.

"What, Maggie? You started this!"

"No! See, that's not the problem. The problem was that I confided in him that I was actually a virgin and then," more sobs started coming. "He said he didn't want to be with me because he didn't want to be my first."

"Huh," Alex's tongue peeked through her teeth on the side as she took in the very coincidental situation in which the two women now found themselves. "What a jerk."

"I know, right," Chrissy agreed. "He's a dick."

"Now, wait a minute here," Maggie interrupted, leaning forward. "Maybe Tommy just didn't think he was capable of being what you needed for a /very/ important part of your life. Maybe it was too much pressure for him and he was trying to do something that a lot of other guys wouldn't do, like respect you."

"Or crush her!" Alex countered. "Maybe if Tommy had listened to her he would have seen that she was just asking for a date to the dance, not for him to take her... down a road she's never been. Maybe if he'd have put his own insecurities and ego in check, instead of leading her on and decimating her, he wouldn't have rejected her in a way that has obviously ruined her self esteem; which she will now have to rebuild with lots of therapy and girl power movies!"

"Jesus Christ, Alex. Maybe he was confused. Maybe he wasn't trying to lead her on!" Maggie argued.

"Oh, he was sooooo trying to lead her on, they almost kissed until Derek Johnson ruined the moment," she replied and then realized she was using a teenager's drama to stand against her problems with Maggie. Holding up her hands, she continued. "You know what, maybe I should just interview the kids alone and send you a report."

"What? What the hell are you talking about, Alex? You can't just kick me out of these interviews, this is my jurisdiction."

"And your jurisdiction ends where I say it does!"

"Oh not this again, for Christ's sake!"

Big blue eyes watched as the women argued and finally Chrissy's tears stopped.

"Um, do you guys want me to come back another time?" she asked before being met with silence from the two grown ass women acting /her/ age.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

"He was just such an amazing man."

After that last interview, both Agent and Detective agreed they should probably speak with an adult next. They chose Abigail Clarke, the teacher who shared a classroom with John Barnes over the past five years. She looked as if she were in shock. No tears, no theatrics. Just truth. Truth that was obviously very painful for her to speak of given the circumstances.

"Every single day he greeted me with a smile," she continued. "Even if he was sad, even if he was having a rough time. John always started each day with a smile. He told me it was because he was doing what he loved. Sharing with the kids the one thing that connects us all, alien or human; stories about heroes."

"Was he having trouble with any of the kids in your class, Miss Clarke?" Alex asked.

"No, no. Our class was special. It was for the advanced placement kids. They are normally far more accepting of... well, differences. He did have a few issues with some of the other kids though. There are three boys in particular that were suspended because they were caught spray painting anti-alien slurs on his car."

"And what were their names?" Maggie asked, clicking her pen to ready it.

"Stephen Jenkins, Greg Sanders and Paul Carter," she replied, swallowing thickly and clutching her hands as her mind wandered somewhere that seemed very, very dark and scary for her. "Did he... There's no way possible it was quick, is there? Any chance at all that he didn't suffer?"

She'd obviously heard about the manner in which John Barnes had died.

"We... we honestly won't know much until the autopsy is performed," Alex lied in an effort to try to lend the woman some desperately needed comfort. "The best thing we can do for him right now is gather as much information as possible. Is there anything else you could think to tell us that might help this case?"

Thinking for a moment, Abigail spoke once more.

"Paul Carter," she noted. "I once took his phone from him while he was texting in study hall. He didn't have a chance to lock in and his screen was open to a text message. He was talking about CADMUS."

Both Alex and Maggie looked to each other, knowing they'd just found suspect number one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

Paul Carter wouldn't be questioned at the school. He was taken away in handcuffs by Maggie and surprisingly acting proud of the fact that he was in custody for the murder of John Barnes. Technically Alex shouldn't have been in the interrogation room while Maggie questioned him. She knew that she was there only because of her friendship with the Detective and that was on thin ice given all of the arguing they'd done earlier in the day so she tried to stay in the background, pacing and sipping the wretched coffee the station kept on hand.

Paul was blond, muscular, obviously affluent and incredibly arrogant. He looked at Maggie like she was an insignificant bug that he'd deal with later when he'd purchased some spray from the store.

Alex imagined that this happened a lot to the tiny woman who's POC status was difficult to discern even for the agent. She likely had to stare in the face of white, male, human privilege all the time. And they likely did not treat her the same as they would a man of their own race.

"Mr. Carter," Maggie said with authority as she took her seat. "I understand that you've waived your Miranda right to remain silence and would like to speak to us without an attorney present, is that right?"

"Yeah, I figured why delay the inevitable," he said flippantly.

"That's an interesting statement to make," Maggie replied. "Why would this conversation be inevitable?" 

"Well, I'm a prime suspect, right?" he answered. "I hated the thing, sprayed up his car... you've got my phone so soon you're gonna know how much I love CADMUS. Not a lot I can hide at this point."

Alex's eyes widened. His entire demeanor seemed off. Paul was giving Maggie everything she needed but a confession at that point. She might as well just go ahead and ask.

"Well, then. You want to go ahead and confess to the crime so we can get this whole thing squared away?"

"Nah," he huffed out a laugh. "I don't think so. I'm not gonna make it that easy for you, lady. You're gonna have to work for this one. See, I don't like any kind of aliens, even the human ones."

And ding, ding, ding, we have a bigot.

Maggie simply smiled and responded sweetly.

"That's OK. I like working for my bookings. Now, you want to tell me where you were --"

She was cut off by another officer entering the room holding a plastic bag with the murder weapon. It looked to be a heavy duty utility knife. One you might find at a sporting goods store for camping.

"Sorry to interrupt detective but we dug this out of one of the school trash cans," the tech said with a smirk before dropping the knife on the table. "It was just sitting right there on top of a bunch of soda cans. And, wouldn't you know, Mr. Carter's prints were found on it."

The entire room looked up at the tech in shock.

Including Paul. Alex noticed the surprise on his face right away. Even before he schooled it and adorned a smile.

"Well, I guess you got me then," his eyes went back to the knife, as if he were contemplating how in he world this could have happened. "Not much I can do now."

"Well, that's not completely true," Maggie replied. "You give us a confession right now I can try to grease the wheels with the DA for a shorter sentence."

His eyes stayed on the knife as he looked as if he were weighing his options. Then, finally, he looked back up at Maggie.

"Nah, like I said, I want to see you work."

Maggie simply nodded and then addressed the tech. 

"Have the officers waiting outside come in on your way out. We'll be booking Mr. Carter for the murder of John Barnes now."

"You got it, detective," he said as he walked out.

"One more question," Alex interrupted as two officers came in to take Carter away. "Is that your knife?"

He looked her over before finally answering.

"I guess it is now."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

Alex stood in the interrogation room for a few seconds contemplating Paul Carter's words, his expressions, his entire interview. Something was so off about all of it. Her brow must have furrowed or her face fell because Maggie picked up on it right away.

"What's up, Danvers, you look sad about catching the bad guy within hours of the case," the detective noted. "You seemed like such a good luck charm I almost want to have you on all of my homicides."

"How can you be so certain he did it?" Alex asked.

"Well, I'm not 100% but the kids fingerprints are on the knife and he's all but said he did it," Maggie explained. "Why would he risk prison time for a crime he didn't commit? It would ruin his life."

Alex nodded. Maggie's reasoning was sound but so many little parts of what had just happened didn't add up. It caused the agent to feel uneasy but she had nowhere else to go with the information they had currently.

"Hey, they've got tech working on Paul's phone, right?" she asked the detective.

"Yeah," Maggie answered with a nod. "We should hear something by tomorrow regarding who he was talking to about CADMUS."

'Tomorrow' was Friday and Alex needed a little time with the info.

"Is there anyway you can get backlogged a little and 'hear back' on Monday?" she asked, her eyes pleading a bit. "Maybe slip me the name of the contact?"

"What? No way, Danvers, I'm close to buttoning this case up. What the hell do you think you're going to find?"

"I just... I have a hunch," she answered. "It's just a feeling, Maggie, please. Do this for me and I'll owe you."

The detective crossed her arms and sighed as she eyed the agent. There certainly was one thing she wanted from her.

"How bout your forgiveness?" She asked. "For what happened before with us."

Swallowing thickly, Alex pushed one side of her hair behind her ear and looked down.

"That's not something within my power to give," she replied with a shake of her head. "At least not yet. I wish it were."

It stung for Maggie to hear that. It looked to Alex as if she could feel it deep in her chest. Still, she persisted.

"One night a week just the two of us then," Maggie requested. "One night without the gang where we talk and, maybe, you can see that I don't want to hurt you. That I didn't before. Give me one night a week and you can have his name over the weekend."

Uncrossing her arms, Alex nodded and extended her hand.

"Deal."

After a brief goodbye, the agent left the precinct and called ahead for pizza and pot-stickers. On her way to pick them up she also grabbed a six pack of beer and then drove over to Kara's apartment. She needed some quality Danvers bonding time. She needed her anchor. And, with a knock at the door, she had her.

"I was thinking maybe you might be hungry," she said to that sweet face that always made her smile.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by ScatteredStories

" _Come on_ , Hank!"

"We talked about this Kara. Go home. You need to rest, that's a director order."

"Alex is off doing her own thing and I really,  _really_  want to catch bad guys today. Especially ones targeting aliens but any bad guy will do."

"No."

And with that the discussion was over and Hank shifted into his Martian form before flying off to patrol the city to cover for Kara's shift. Not wanting to disobey Hank, Kara stomped her feet lightly in a momentary tantrum then she sighed and gave up, knowing that there really was no arguing with Martian Space Dad. That was how Kara found herself emptying two bags of Cheetos into an over-sized bowl while the TV provided the low hum of static to lessen the burn of watching Netflix alone. Normally Alex would be huddled on the couch by now with a thick blanket around her legs and a plate of food on her lap, and although she missed her sister's presence immensely, she understood that with everything her sister was going through with not only trying to find Jeremiah but also things with Detective Sawyer, Alex might not be available. Especially now with a dead alien in a school. Sighing, she snatched the bowl and arched back so she was lying on nothing but air, slowly drifting towards the couch just as Clarke spat in Lexa's face.

"Ew." Kara mused before digging into her bowl.

The 100 had been sitting unwatched in Alex's subscriptions for almost a year now and, remembering how Alex was so excited every episode before she stopped, Kara grew curious and decided to binge the second season. Commander Lexa was, funnily enough, just like Alex. Strong but kind, protective, a definite badass, and after a few more episodes, Kara found herself rooting for the relationship developing between her and--

"No, Clarke! You can't trust that guy! He's Ice Nation!" Kara whined before hearing a knock at the door.

Pausing the show, Kara turned and used her X-Ray vision to find Alex standing just outside.

"Alex!" She smiled and opened the door, dropping her jaw when she saw the food in the brunette's hands.

"You are sent by Rao herself." She whispered into a tight hug and soft kiss to the cheek, taking the box and replacing it with her own hand as she pulled Alex inside. "Come on! I'm watching your show, we can binge and talk." Kara smiled warmly, making sure to keep her promise of building an environment where Alex was encouraged to be open and to talk and to share.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

After unloading the food and beer, Alex excused herself to the Kara's room to take off her stuffy work clothes and steal some of her sister's pajamas. She then walked back into the kitchen, grabbed a beer before settling onto the couch next to the reporter to talk about her day.

"Ugh," she said, grabbing a slice of pizza. "Maggie called me up with a pretty brutal case today. Some English teacher at a high school murdered in what looks like a hate crime."

She bit into the slice and hummed in a brief moment of satisfaction as the wonder of cheese, sauce and bread took over her senses. Why did bad things have to taste so good?

"Maggie thinks we've pretty much bagged the bad guy," she explained as she chewed and then swallowed. "He's a student there. Seems to have connections to CADMUS and he all but confessed on the spot. We've got a mountain of evidence against him but, I don't now, it's like it's all almost too perfect. This case couldn't have been more gift wrapped for us."

Shaking her head, she took another bite and then a sip of beer, allowing the mere atmosphere of the apartment to wash over her and ease her worries away. Kara's little loft had felt more like home than her own apartment most of the time. And it had nothing to do with the space. Alex's apartment was way more expensive and well lit. It was her. The colors, the flowers, the decorations here and there that Kara couldn't bring to throw away even though some of them were hideous. There was a reason Alex always came to Kara an not the other way around: because Kara knew how to make a home. She'd been trying to figure out how to do that since she landed on Earth.

"Anyway, I'm gonna do some recon this weekend to make sure we got the right perp," she explained before looking over to Kara. "How was your day?"

She already knew the answer to that one, she just wanted to give the Kryptonian a chance to vent. If there was one thing Kara hated, it was feeling restless.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by ScatteredStories

Listening to Alex recall the situation in a school, no less, of students having contacts or access to CADMUS made a shiver crawl up Kara's spine. Already, Lillian and her band of not-so-merry men were being mirrored by children, of all people, and Kara couldn't help but wonder, and fear, if that hate for aliens was something that had just been influenced or if it had always been there, hidden, quiet, even in the hearts of teenagers.

"It scares me to think about what it could do to these kids if we don't stop CADMUS, Alex." Kara admitted quietly as she took another pot-sticker, holding onto it while she spoke, "and yeah, it does seem too easy but he's a kid, right? Maybe he didn't think things through?" 

Then she took the dumpling into her mouth and hummed when the flavor exploded on her tongue.

"And my day? It was spent sparring with Mon-El and trying to convince Hank that I'm well enough to go on patrol. Clearly, you can see that my arguing skills are superior to his." She said, gesturing down her pajama clad body.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

"That's because Hank knows that if you don't heal he's going to have to deal with me and, trust me, between the two of us, my temper is still scarier even though I don't have super powers," Alex replied, taking another bite and then taking in Kara's state of being. "You don't look too drained but you're definitely not back at 100% yet. I can tell. You're not smiling quite as much."

For some reason her mind went back to the scene at the school. The slurs, the CADMUS writing, the large L carved into that poor teacher's chest.... her entire body tensed as she thought about the same thing happening to Kara; about how much her world would end without the girl in her life. And then, how much she would cause the world to end for her murderers. Alex would rain down a hell upon those responsible that would scare even the most stalwart of CADMUS soldiers. 

"I'm going to find out who did this," she explained, abandoning her pizza and instead wrapping her arm around Kara and covering them both with the blanket. "I'll hit the streets this weekend and get more intel."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by ScatteredStories

Whatever happened that day had Alex shaken, it was clear from the way her sister drifted away into her thoughts, pausing for a moment or two before swinging from one mood to another.

Whatever it was that Alex saw, it was enough to strike a genuine fear in the heart of the agent; fear that Kara could see shining behind those beautiful brown eyes. 

"You're going to need back up." Kara said, "and yes, I'm still human but that only proves that CADMUS is too dangerous to go after alone. Unless, you want to bring Mon-El or Maggie, you're stuck with me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k and ScatteredStories
> 
> Quick Note: I'm combining some of the POVs so that the Chapters flow more naturally. Each POV will be separated by page break. Thank you!

"Ugh, neither Maggie nor Mon-El sound appealing," she scoffed as she pulled back to take her wine. "Mon-El is about as subtle as Miley Cyrus coming in on that wrecking ball and Maggie..."

Her voice trailed off and Alex took in a deep breath as she tried to find the right words to describe how she felt about the detective.

"She just wants more than I can give, Kara," Alex tried to explain before elaborating. "Which is ironic because the opposite end of that spectrum is why everything is so awkward between us."

Shaking her head, she sipped the wine and allowed her mind to drift back to that day when she kissed Maggie at the bar. And all the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad feelings that Maggie's rejection made her feel.

"I'm not crazy," she said, though she knew she never had to defend herself in front of Kara. "She was leading me on. I might be new to this whole lesbian thing but I'm not new to being hit on and Maggie was doing that. She..."

Her hand went into her hair as the terrifying loneliness and embarrassment gripped her heart once more.

"She led me down a path and then let me walk right off a cliff," Alex said with the taste of disdain in her mouth. "And when I was lying at the bottom of that ravine, broken and alone she used an excuse that only served to further demean me. I can forgive her for it, hopefully some day soon, but I simply cannot trust her enough to let her hold any part of me after that."

Shaking her head, she finished the glass she'd been sipping through dinner.

"But I do trust her to have my back," she explained with a sigh. "And I'll have to take her along because you, Supergirl, don't even know how to shoot a gun. I don't want you anywhere near CADMUS like this."

Her smile returned as she squeezed the alien's bicep.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

'Maggie is a dead woman.' 

That was the first thought in Kara's mind as she listened and watched as her sister, who had always been steady and strong and confident, recalled how one woman had gotten under her carefully constructed armor before ultimately stabbing her where it counted. The vision before her was both humbling and beautiful, seeing Alex like this, having her feel things like this, it made Kara realize just how closed off Alex had been to other people, made her realize what Alex had to sacrifice for her secret and for whatever society had forced upon her.

"Alex..." She started gently, "Maggie is an idiot for what she did and it sounds cliche but it's really her loss. You are amazing, you're strong, you're smart, you're so beautiful, and now... Now you have that light behind your eyes because you know who you are now..." Kara nudged their shoulders gently together, "... Just like I had when I saved that plane." Then she detoured the conversation and grabbed another slice of pizza, "Which is why you can't bench me for this, I'm Supergirl for crying out loud. I can't do nothing while you risk your life. So I'm going with you, the only question now is whether I ride in the car with you, or if I have to find some other way to tail you."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Absolutely not, Kara," Alex said with a shake of her head, putting her foot down on the issue. "It's not because I don't want you there, or because I don't trust you, but you're not trained for recon and stealth missions. If this were about going head first against some powerful alien, and you were back on your feet, you know I'd say yes. But it's not. Whether or not either of us like it, Maggie is best suited to back me up on this one, OK? I want you to stay home and heal."

She placed a hand on a strong shoulder and gave her best overprotective sister look.

"I can't lose you, Kara," she reminded her. "You are the only person on this planet who actually gets me. I need you in my corner when I get back."

And she did. Alex could not fathom her life without that brilliant smile always there to make things better. Without those strong arms to hug her troubles away. Without those adorable chubby cheeks stuffed with pot stickers and listening intently as Alex shared her life.

Alex needed to be her sister's keeper because she needed Kara. It was that simple. And it was a title she wore with pride.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The logical part of Kara's brain told her that Alex was right, she was practically useless to people as a human, she could fight but she had never actually fought an enemy and felt the pain of their blows without her powers. She had never even held a gun before, human guns or otherwise. Going with Alex or going after her might just end with Alex hurt while trying to protect the vulnerable Kryptonian.

"Okay. Okay." She sighed softly, pouting as she took Alex's arm and wrapped herself around it. "Just... Be careful, okay? And keep me updated." Kara saied before pulling back and laying on the couch, propping her head on Alex's lap, "as soon as I get my powers back, I'm coming straight to you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

Everyone needs a reason to do the things that, otherwise, make no logical sense. Because it definitely made no sense to go jumping into the fray over a case that really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The victim wasn't going to come back by finding the killer, the 'killer' seemed to have already confessed. What on Earth could push Alex to go the extra mile and ensure they'd nabbed the right guy?

The blonde head in her lap and everything attached to it. 

Kara was, and always had been, her reason.

And Alex wouldn't let her end up like that poor man on the football field.

After about an hour of watching television together and stroking the aliens hair, Alex gave the girl a pat on the back and stood from her resting position. They cleaned up together and then the agent gave her sister a smile and a hug before she had to depart.

"Get some rest, ok?" she advised, ever the older sibling. "I'll be fine and I need you to be too. Take care of yourself."

With one last, lingering squeeze, Alex let go and exited the apartment and the building. Reaching into her pocket, she picked up her phone and reluctantly dialed Maggie's number.

"Sawyer, it's Danvers," she said into the phone. "I may need a little help tomorrow with this recon mission I'm running. You have any plans?"

"No, I can help out. But don't think this counts as one of our weekly visits," Maggie replied back.

"Fine, I guess you'll be seeing me a lot this week given the murder and my new social obligations to you," Alex replied. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8am."

"Can't wait," the detective responded before Alex ended the call and pocketed the phone. 

She drove back to her apartment and settled in for the night with a hot shower and a stiff drink. She had no idea what they would find tomorrow but her instincts told her it was going to be important.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by LezG33k

After tailing Andrew Arnold for over 3 hours, the Agent and the Detective had passed by a gas station, a gun range, a porn store and a burger joint. Finally, once the extremely red blooded American male had sated nearly every stereotypical longing he could possibly have, Andrew drove his pick-up truck out to a remote highway on the edge of town. After an hour of travel he exited off toward a dirt road that led to what looked like an old abandoned shed in the middle of nowhere. 

“Move,” Alex ordered as soon as they parked the car about a quarter of a mile away.

They had to time their movements perfectly. With any luck, Andrew was about to pull out some kind of key or card that would give him access to a remote CADMUS base of operations. If they knocked him out just in time they’d then have access as well. There was only one problem… Andrew was being stopped by CADMUS guards.

“Shit,” Alex swore under her breath and grabbed Maggie by the scruff of her jacket and pulled them both behind a rock to watch the scene unfold.

“You’ve been told multiple times to stay the hell away from here, Arnold,” one of the guards said sternly upon approach. “Next time you show up, you’ll be shot on sight. You hear me? Get out of here!”

They were heavily armed and wearing both body armor and dark helmets that shielded their faces. If Andrew Arnold had any sense in his head, he would do as he was told.

“Come on guys! I slipped up the one time but I promise I’m still useful,” he pleaded. “I’ve got a small army of kids just chomping at the bit to be a part of the fight. They’re ripe for indoctrination!”

“Yeah, so ripe one of them stowed away with you last time and found this place. You’re lucky we didn’t shoot you both right then and there. Now, turn around and go the fuck back home!”

With a grumbled retort that Alex couldn’t hear, Andrew turned around and got back in his car.

“Damn it,” Alex whispered once more, trying to figure out a way in that wouldn’t alert every single CADMUS soldier in the facility. The talk of indoctrination had her even more curious as to what part the entity played with the kids at National City High School. “I have no clue how the hell we’re supposed to get in now.”

Maggie looked at the small shack and then back to Alex. Her eyes then gave the agent a once over which caused her to bristle.

“What was that look for?” she asked.

“Take off your jacket and untuck your tank top,” she said before standing a bit to move toward the car. “I’ll be right back.”

Confused but determined, Alex did as she was told and noted that Maggie had also returned with demonstrably less clothing and the addition of the empty gas can from the trunk of the car.

“Please tell me you’re kidding,” Alex said, crossing her arms as she put two and two together. “Tell me that we are not about to play the hot damsels in distress who knock out the guards. This isn’t Charlie’s Angels, Maggie.”

“Hey, you got your quirks, I’ve got mine. Plus, if we do make it back out undetected we just leave the body armor and come back with re-enforcements. No big strong man is gonna want to admit he was taken out by two tiny girls. ” the detective answered with a smirk. “Now come on Farrah, we got work to do.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

She couldn’t believe it worked.

The flash of their smiles, the emphasis of their cleavage and a little sweet talking got the girls close enough to take out the guards. After that it was Alex’s turn to have the great idea.

“Here, you take the shorter one’s clothes and I’ll take Rambo’s,” she explained to Maggie. “It won’t be perfect but it’s also a little less noticeable than what we’re working with right now.”

As they dressed they both tried not to allow their gazes to fall on each other. It was a little easier for Alex because her mind was somewhere else altogether; causing her to giggle.

“What’s so funny, Danvers?” Maggie asked.

“It’s just that this is so straight out of Star Wars. I used to watch it all the time when Kara and I were kids,” she answered with a reminiscent smile.

“You’re so adorkable sometimes,” the detective replied before putting on her helmet.

“Hey, you got your quirks, I got mine,” Alex parroted Maggie’s words from before and donned her helmet as well. “Now come on, Luke, we got work to do.”

“Hey, why do you get to be Han?” Maggie grumbled as they entered the shack and Alex swiped the card to call the elevator.

“Who’s adorkable now?”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Alex’s hand never strayed far from the trigger of the assault rifle she’d pilfered from the guard above. Her senses were all on high alert as they slowly and carefully stalked the halls of the nearly abandoned facility. This one was obviously older. It seemed like it was used for a great deal of storage and the bulk of it was files on possible CADMUS recruits. Low and behold, they had one on Paul. Alex slipped it inside her stolen body armor and signaled to Maggie that they’d gotten what she came for. With any luck they could slip back out undetected, just as the detective said, and call for a full raid later.

At least, that was the plan until they passed a door with a large window that offered a view of a very familiar face.

Astra. Out cold on a cot.

Alex’s heart felt as if it had stopped in a vice grip. A gasp left her throat and her knees felt weak.

Images of their last encounter, the one where she’d speared the general with a Kryptonite sword, rushed through her mind. And so did the tears. Astra’s, Kara’s, her own. How in the world was she there, alive and under the control of CADMUS?

“Wait,” she said, her voice betraying her own thoughts.

If they took Astra now there would be no coming back to the facility. Everything would be scrubbed. But, if she left Kara’s aunt behind, the person she loved most in all the world would never forgive her.

“Wait what, Alex. We got what we need. Let’s go!”

The Agent’s breath came in heavy. She knew Maggie was right, knew they were so close to pulling this off.

… But they wouldn’t.

“I can’t,” she said, using her badge to open the door to the cell and pushing her rifle onto her back. “This is Kara’s aunt. I can’t leave her here with these butchers. God knows what they’ll do to her.”

With swift movements she lifted Astra up and positioned her over her shoulder.

“Why are Kryptonians all muscle?” she groaned to herself before addressing Maggie. “I need you to run point. Get us out of here.”

And that she did.

They were lucky there were no incidents until the very end when the guards they’d knocked out were starting to stir.

“We got body armor, assault rifles and a pretty damn clear view of your genitals, boys,” the detective warned, gun raised. “I’d stay quiet until we’re gone.”

The guards nodded, hands raised and the two women made their escape. Alex settled Astra in the back seat and started frantically rummaging around under the passenger seat as she yelled at Maggie to drive.

“Get us to the DEO as fast as you possibly can,” she ordered, unlocking a small black box that held Kryptonite cuffs and one green blade.

She slapped the cuffs on Astra immediately and placed the knife close to her throat. If the general awoke on the trip back, they needed to be as prepared as possible. 

“If she wakes up you stop the car and run,” the agent warned the detective.

“Yeah, like that’s gonna happen,” Maggie replied with an annoyed shake of her head. “We’re in this one together, Han.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by Unfuckwithable

Astra In-Ze had been so heavily sedated that even an elephant could’ve gone into hibernation. 

So, it was no surprise that she didn’t wake up when Alex lifted her up and carried her out of the CADMUS facility.

She didn’t wake up when she was ‘gently’ thrown onto the backseat— and handcuffed with kryptonite handcuffs, of course.

She didn’t wake up when Alex lifted her up again in order to carry her into the DEO.

She didn’t wake up when people around her began to raise their voices, trying to figure out what the hell to do with her.

She didn’t wake up when a surprised voice noticed: “She— is bleeding?!”

That, most certainly, caused the first round of confusion. 

She didn’t wake up when they put her on yet another table.

She didn’t wake up when they chained her – again, and plunged needles into her veins, again. 

No, Astra had no idea what was going on around her and soon, this feeling would be one she’d grow to hate. But here and now, she was caught in an infinite darkness. It was heavy and sticky and it seemed to lull her mind back to sleep every time she tried to wake up.

Until, suddenly, the black turned into gray. The heaviness lifted. Eyelids fluttered until, finally, the beaten General opened her eyes.

She blinked.

Lights, beeping sounds, pressure in her wrist; on her wrists; unable to move.

What a déjà-vu!

With the heavy taste of sleep and confusion still on her tongue, she tried to move— to fight. “AARGH!” It was only a sorry excuse of a war-cry since she wasn’t back to her full strength yet, but it was better than nothing. “No! Not again!” She barked.

Astra had no idea where the edgy lady was or if she even existed, but she was sure that, if she existed, she was watching her. 

“Where are you, lady?! Only cowards hide in the shadows! Come here so I can look you in the eye!”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex written by LezG33k, Astra written by Unfuckwithable

"Trust me," Alex said as she came into the General's view. "There are no cowards here."  
  
So much had happened between the CADMUS base and the doors of the DEO. Astra was alive, she was unconscious, she was bleeding, she was... without her Kryptonian abilities.  
  
And now she was angry and... possibly scared?  
  
What was that look in her eye? The one she had when she first awoke and searched the scene for this 'lady'. The lady who, no doubt, was Lillian Luthor. The Dr. Mengele of the anti-alien world. What had she done to this soldier from the stars?  
  
Whatever it was, it couldn't have been worse than what Alex had done.  
  
She felt the pang of guilt start to trickle into her chest but she pushed it back and took back control of her emotions. She couldn't be weak right now. She needed to show Astra her strength so that, hopefully, she'd calm down and allow the medical team to help. The agent owed her that. She owed it to Kara too.  
  
"I'm Alex Danvers, Kara's sister," she said, pressing down on Astra's shoulder to keep her on the medical bed. "You once told me I was braver than most of my race. I'm telling you now that the coward who hurt you isn't here. We're trying to get your vitals to stabilize so we can figure out what she's done to you. We are /not/ trying to hurt you. The faster you cooperate with us the faster I can bring Kara to you."  
  
Astra's struggle abated just a bit as Alex tried to convey that her words were not a request, much as they might have sounded like one.  
  
"Remember that we have one thing in common, General," she entreated. "And as much as you may not trust me after our last encounter, I /do/ want you to survive to see her again. Help me do that for you both."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Astra's struggle, anger and yes, even her fear faded as soon as Alex's face came into view. She remembered everything and despite their past and Astra's current condition and confusion, the General paused. Seeing Agent Danvers' face suddenly felt like the warm, calming rain trickling against her skin after one massive storm. And maybe that's exactly what it was.

 

"Alex," she almost whispered and her lips dared to curl into a small smile, which gave away how much her guard was currently down.

 

The General's relief got the best of her. Once she realized that, her smile faded and her expression morphed into an unreadable one. Out of all the things Astra had expected, seeing the face of that brave woman certainly wasn't one of them. Stunned into silence, she listened to the Agent's words, trying to make sense of the last part.

 

"I know who you are," she finally continued; her voice less soft this time around. "It is good to see you, Agent."

 

For a moment there, Astra's eyes darted to Alex's hand on her shoulder before their eyes met again. "But as far as I remember, I am not supposed to be here... What happened?"

 

* * *

 

 

Astra’s face had always been so expressive. Sometimes so much that Alex wondered why she didn’t feel the heat of the sun rushing through her skull when the woman was angry and in attack mode. She was surprised each and every time she’d survived an encounter with the General yet here they were now, and Alex was trying to give her comfort.  
  
It was working too. She could see it in that small smile. In the breath upon which her name was carried. In slowing of the storm that had formed in sea gray eyes.  
  
“No, you certainly shouldn’t be here,” Alex confirmed but softly as she eased back, noting that Astra was no longer a danger to herself or others. “But right now we’re trying to figure out exactly what you’re doing here and what happened to you. You seem to have lost all of your powers.”  
  
“Danvers! Seriously?”  
  
One of the doctors, Hadley, chastised her as she worked on stitching up a wound at the general’s side. It had been stitched before, interestingly enough, and come loose during transport. Whatever nefarious work CADMUS had been doing to Astra, they’d been taking care of her as well.  
  
“Yes, seriously,” Alex replied, leaving no room for discussion. “This woman has died, come back and been used as a pin cushion for god knows how long. Not to mention she’s Supergirl’s Aunt. She deserves better than being left in the dark.”  
  
“And what did she deserve when she made a nearly effective attempt at imprisoning the human race?” Hadley kept on.  
  
“Trust me, she got it and more!”  
  
Her words were loud. Too loud. That kind of loud that hung in the air and echoed in a person’s mind, taunting them in a way.  
  
And she couldn’t take them back.  
  
She wouldn’t have thought to before. Before she would have barked out her answer and followed it up with a warning of punishment for the good doctor. But her confidence was off; shaken in a way she hadn’t figured out how to recover from at that time. The eyes in the room that were looking at her held a modicum of resistance in their depths. It was no secret Alex had suffered greatly for her decision to kill Astra in those last few moments of her life. She punished herself for it even more than Kara had.  
  
And her statement, coupled with its vehemence, showed she did so still.  
  
Shaking it all off, she looked back to the General on the table.  
  
“Our best guess is that CADMUS, an anti-alien force of immeasurable potential for evil, somehow got a hold of your body between death and transport,” she explained, looking back at Astra. “From there, you either lost your powers after…”  
  
She paused and swallowed thickly. Knowing she would hate the way the words tasted on her lips but understanding that they needed to be spoken, she continued.  
  
“...After I killed you or you had them when they woke you up and they somehow found a way to suppress them.”  
  
No matter who you are, the bill always comes at the end of the meal. Alex Danvers simply never thought she’d have to pay for the damage she’d done at that particular table.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Astra written by Unfuckwithable, Alex written by LezG33k

"Lost all of my—," Astra began but thanks to another person's interruption, she couldn't finish her thought.

Instead, her head snapped around and right there, for the first time, she registered the doctor's presence. The bittersweet wave of another tiny shock ran through her bones - a sign that, whatever had been given to her, was slowly wearing off. But again, before she could say anything, the Agent's stern voice demanded her attention once more. Curious bluish-grey orbs stared up, the doctor momentarily forgotten.

This-- vehemence, the clenched jaw, the balled fists - it all was indeed curious. But right now, Astra knew, wasn't the time nor place - especially not for her because she was still chained to a table without any idea what was going on. When Alex paused and swallowed, Astra knew what was about to be said. Her face remained emotionless and she only spoke after Agent Danvers was finished.

"But I died an honorable death. What did they do to me?" And that's when her head snapped around. She had felt the small tugging; it didn't hurt but it felt weird. "And what are /you/ doing to me?"

"I am /helping/ you," Hadley said and glanced from Astra to Alex and back, "So if you could hold still for a few more seconds, I'd appreciate that."

"Kara," Astra suddenly said out of the blue, head snapping back to look at Alex. "Does she know?!"

 

* * *

 

Kara.

 

She was the binding tie between them. No matter which side they were on, no matter what fight they fought, they both had a love so fierce for Kara that it was the very reason the General, who would have taken the free will of the human world, now rested upon a table being treated by those she would have enslaved. 

 

"Not yet," Alex answered. "I wanted to make sure that..."

 

She wasn't sure how to put her thoughts into words that wouldn't sound insensitive so she didn't. She used her tone to try to convey that her intentions were nothing more than protective and pure.

 

"She was heartbroken when you died the first time. I didn't want her to suffer that loss again if she didn't have to."

 

Swallowing thickly she looked up at the screen that tracked Astra's vitals and then down at the rest of her body. She seemed to be in better shape than they'd initially thought now that the tranquilizer was wearing off; something that was becoming more and more obvious as she reacted to the stitching.

 

"But it looks like you're going to be out of the woods soon. It's probably time I make that call. She needs more anesthetic," the agent said to the doctor before pulling her phone from her pocket and looking back to Astra. "I need to take this outside. "I want your word that you won't try to hurt these people while I'm gone. They're healers, not warriors, and right now they're healing you."

 

* * *

 

Astra was still overwhelmed and she could feel it in the way her mind ran wild. 

 

Kara, yes, there was no doubt that she had been the first person Astra thought about. It was an instinct— the instinct of a loving heart. 

 

The heart knows.

It always knows.

 

But Astra was a General, too. A trained warrior. And somewhere, even in all this confusion, this instinct was still strong, too. 

 

That was the route her brain took and within seconds, a thousand questions flooded her mind.

 

Where was Non?

What happened to Project Myriad? 

How did they destroy it?

Because... they still, by the looks of it, had their free will?

Or had Non postponed it? 

Had Kara defeated him after all?

Was she okay?

Was /Astra/ okay?

If CADMUS was an anti-alien force, what had they done to her?

Why had she lost her powers?

Or hadn't she?

What was this organization capable of doing?

Would Astra be a threat to anyone?

To Kara?!

Kara.

Little One.

 

Suddenly, Alex's words began to echo inside Astra's head: 'She was heartbroken when you died the first time. I didn't want her to suffer that loss again if she didn't have to.'

 

"No, wait!" She could hear herself say and she wanted to reach out as well to grab the Agent's arm but was promptly reminded of the fact that she was still tied to the table. "Don't make that call just yet." Bluish-grey eyes stared up at the woman who had killed her not all too long ago. "I have a million questions right now and I am sure, so do you and— I'd like for— us to find at least a few answers before we inform my niece."

 

Yes, Astra was more than confused right now but there was one thing she would always be sure of: She would protect Kara at all costs, even if that meant she had to had to make her own heart's wish wait in line. 

 

And even if that meant she had to work together with the very woman who had ended her life in the first place.

 

* * *

 

Out of all the things Alex thought she might be doing that day, saving Kara's Aunt, enemy to all humans on Earth, and then mentally booking out the rest of her evening to talk to her was not one of them. The combination of Alex and talking really only worked well with Kara. Especially after that embarrassing situation with Maggie. Not to mention that the last time she and the General had a real heart to heart Astra's hand was wrapped around Alex's throat.

 

Come to think of it, nearly all of their conversations were coupled with violence.

 

Yet there was still an ease to them.

 

Shaking her head, Alex decided to worry about that extremely problematic facet of her personality later and deal with the situation at hand.

 

"I-I do have some questions for you and I'm sure that Kara would want me to tell you about her since you don't want her here just yet so, yes," she confirmed. "We can talk once you're settled in which will be..."

 

She waited for Hadley to sound off, being the most senior medical officer in this situation.

 

"Give us about ten more minutes."

 

The answer was met with a nod and, while she waited, Alex gathered the Kryptonite cuffs and the Kryptonite gun she'd retrieved from the armory.

 

"Just in case," she explained to Astra as she removed the restraints from the bed and applied the restraints in her hand. "Let's go."

 

One of her hands stayed wrapped around the General's lithe but muscular bicep while the other only strayed from the handle of her gun to open the med-bay door. What she didn't expect to find on the other side was Maggie, waiting in the wings, so to speak.

 

"Maggie, what are you doing here? I told you to go home," she asked incredulously.

 

"You seemed a little shaken up by this whole thing. I thought I'd wait til you were done and cash in on one of my weekly freebie nights. Maybe buy you a beer," Maggie explained, hands on hips as she noticed the curious stare Astra gave everyone upon first meeting. As if they were a science experiment. "Also, if she's Kara's Aunt then why is she here under arrest."

 

Shit. Shit. Shit.

 

She'd slipped in the car. Time to do some damage control.

 

"She's... Look, it's complicated and I can't go out with you tonight. I have to finish her intake," she explained, hoping Maggie would be more angry about the refusal than curious about the alien.

 

"You do realize I just spent my entire day helping you out on not one but obviously two big cases for the DEO, right?" Maggie asked. "And now you're ditching me to hang out with Elvira over here?"

 

"I am not ditching you to hang out with Elv- Astra!" Alex corrected herself and grimaced in frustration. "I'm just doing my job and when I'm done with that job I will call you and we can make plans to hang out later. Now, go home, Maggie. This conversation is over."

 

Without another word she started walking and guided Astra away from Maggie and toward the cells.

 

"Whatever, Danvers."

 

Maggie's mumble, along with the stomping of her shoes, could be heard even down the hall as Alex swiped her security badge and led Astra inside the cell.

 

"Well, that wasn't even remotely embarrassing," she said lowly, to herself as she removed the cuffs and stepped away, taking a breath to find her bearings again. She was about to have to figure out how to mend her relationship with Astra enough to have a fireside chat that would catch her up on the world's progress since Alex had buried a sword in her chest.

 


End file.
